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The Haunting of Bill Crouse
The Haunting of Bill Crouse is the fifth episode of the first series of The IT Crowd. Synopsis Jen goes on a date with Bill Crouse who she finds really offensive. To help Jen avoid future contact with Bill, Moss tells him that Jen is dead. Unfortunately, Moss' lie works too well, and everyone at Reynholm Industries believes that Jen really is dead. Plot Restaurant - Night Jen and a man called Bill are sat at a table in a posh restaurant. Jen explains that she is set up a lot and they all fail. Bill starts to creep her out and shouts at the waiters. Reynholm Industries - IT Department Basement Office - Day Jen is telling Roy and Moss about her terrible date. Roy explains about "trouser food" and assures Jen that he is a creep. The mailman comes in and gives Jen a lingerie magazine, which has been delivered to the wrong person. Roy agrees to pass it on to 'Cathy'. Roy pretends to be on the phone with Cathy when the phone rings and scares him to death. Moss agrees to tell Bill that Jen is busy if he asks. Roy leaves. Reynholm Industries - IT Department Basement Office - Day Moss is wearing a visor while peeling an orange, then Bill comes in and Moss must lie, a talent he doesn't possess. Bill insists that he go see her, and Moss tries to stop him. Eventually, Moss tells Bill that Jen died the night before, and Bill is horrified. Moss hints for him to leave, but Bill doesn't leave because he's too busy remembering Jen. He ponders the fact that he was the last person to sleep with her. As he leaves, he leaves a bunch of flowers by the door in memorial. Reynholm Industries - 5th Floor - Judy or Julie's Desk - Day Roy goes up to Judy or Julie and gives her his card and tells her to call his mobile phone if she has a problem with his computer. He calls her Judy, only to find out that she is called Julie, and Judy is fat and ugly. Then, Bill tells everyone about Jen's death. Reynholm Industries - IT Department Basement Office - Day There are lots of people talking to Moss about Jen's death. When they leave, and Roy enters with news about his flirting, Jen comes out and leaves to get a cup of coffee. She then finds her memorial outside the door and they think they have given it to her because she is brilliant, and has become employee of the month. Then Judy calls Roy and tells him there is a problem with her computer, but she has just made it up to talk to Roy, who pretends his phone battery is going dead, just to get out of the conversation. Then, Jen tries to leave to thank everyone for making her employee of the month. Moss stops her by saying that being thanked is embarrassing. Reynholm Industries - Hallway - Day Jen walks through the corridor and speaks to an old man, who thought she was ill, but she says she wasn't. He gets her on his trolley and wheels her around the corridors. He wheels her past a conference room where Bill is having a meeting. To Bill, it appears as if Jen's head is floating past and screaming at him. When Bill runs into the hall, he doesn't see her and passes out. Around the corner, Jen thanks Small Paul for the ride and leaves, and the old man has a heart attack and collapses. Reynholm Industries - Floor 34 - Day Denholm does a strange speech about age at the memorial of Jen, and mentions about her unforgettable evening with Bill, followed by an applause, He calls in Elton John, who has come to the memorial to sing a beautiful song about Death. At this time, Jen walks in on what she believes to be a party to celebrate her being employee of the month, but the audience shout at her. Reynholm Industries - IT Department Basement Office - Day Roy enters the basement and tells Moss to keep Judy away from him. Then, Jen comes in and confronts Moss about telling everyone she was dead. She seems calm at first, and Moss tries to get out of the conversation by saying he got a text message about his father killing someone. Jen then violently attacks him, and he tells her about Bill telling everyone that he slept with her, and she calls him and leaves a message on his voicemail. Her voice is very croaky, and he complains that her throat hurts and she doesn't feel very well. Reynholm Industries - Bill's Office - Day Bill gets the message from Jen and believes that she is haunting him for telling everyone she slept with him. He freaks out. Reynholm Industries - IT Department Basement Office - Day Jen tries to leave the basement but gets slowed down by Judy. As she leaves, Judy enters and Roy hides behind his desk. Judy asks where Roy is and Moss replies "um - He's dead!" Judy screams and curses, then she walks off perfectly fine. London Street - Night It's raining and Jen's car breaks down. She gets out of the car, crying, and tried to fix it, but she fails. Bill Crouse's House - Night Bill is drinking whiskey, and tries to convince himself that the message on his phone was a joke someone played on him. He then sees Jen standing in the rain across the street. He screams and falls to the floor, then he looks up the see Jen at the window. "Bill, let me in, it's raining!" he continues to freak out. "Stop telling everyone I slept with you!" he replies "I will! I WILL!" Then, she walks off and swears at him as she leaves. Office - daytime At the memorial of the heart-attack victim, Elton John is playing a song while everyone sobs. Then, a woman says, "I don't think that's Elton John." London Street - Day Roy is walking along when he sees Judy. She sees him, then points to him and screams. Cultural References The title of the episode is a reference to the 1959 gothic horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House.''by Shirley Jackson. By extension, the character himself is also a reference. The ending scene where Judy points at Roy from across the street and screams is a reference to the famous scene from the 1978 film remake, ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers.Category:Episodes Category:Series 1